Humans have been using wind power for over 5,000 years, with the earliest uses by ancient Egyptians and later developments including windmills in the Middle East in the 1100s and in Holland. Modern wind turbines come in horizontal and vertical axis designs, with the horizontal axis being more common. Wind power provides clean, renewable energy but requires sufficient wind speeds and has limitations around power storage and high installation costs. The United States has seen a large increase in wind power capacity in recent years and offshore wind farms have significant potential to generate more power than land-based installations.

2. History
•Humans have been using
wind as a form of power
for over 5000 years.
•The earliest known form of wind power was
used by the Ancient Egyptians.

3. History
• The first windmills date back to the early
1100s in the middle east.
• Holland is home to some of the oldest
windmills in the world.
• The earliest windmills were used to grind
grain.
• First windmill used to generate electricity in
the US was installed in 1890.

4. Modern Technology
Horizontal Axis Wind turbine
Wind Turbines
Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

5. How it Works

6. How it Works

7. Pros and Cons of Wind power
Pros Cons
•Clean • The wind doesn’t
•Renewable always blow
•Saves fossil fuels • Limited building
•Payoff over-time locations
•Least expensive
source of electric • Power Storage is
power limited
• Expensive to install

8. Facts
The Wind power capacity in the United States
has seen a 400% increase over the last 5
years, with over 24000MW as of 2008 and is
expected to grow by another 8,500MW in
2009.
Source: http://www.windpowerexpo.org/

9. Facts
•Off-shore wind farms can generate 50-70%
more power then land based wind farms.
•Wind speeds on the open ocean is 30-40%
higher then on land.
•Wind speeds near shore are 25-20% higher then
on land.
•The US has the largest offshore wind farm
potential of any other country in the world.

10. Facts
• The largest offshore wind-farm in the world
is located in Great Britain.
• Its 54 turbines have a capacity of 194MW,
enough to power 130,000 homes.
•Steel foundation tubes were hammered 25
meters into the chalk below sea floor.

11. Should I get one?
 Who should consider buying a wind turbine?
• Persons with property size of one acre or more.
• Persons who have at least a 10 mph average wind speed and are paying 10
cents/kWh or more for electricity
 How much does a wind system cost?
• A small turbine can cost anywhere from $6,000 to $22,000.
 How reliable are wind turbines? Will I have to perform much
maintenance?
• Most small turbines have very few moving parts and do not require any
regular maintenance. They are designed for a long life (up to 20 years) and
operate completely automatically.
 How do wind turbines perform as an investment?
• The wind system will usually recoup its investment through utility savings
within six to fifteen years.
For more information visit http://www.awea.org/faq/rsdntqa.html#savememoney

12. Interesting Ideas
The ‘Bahrain World Trade Centre
The Anara Tower - Dubai

13. Sources
• http://www.windmillworld.com/windmills/history.htm
• Patel, Mukund R. (2006). Wind and Solar Power Systems. Boca Raton, FL:
Taylor & Francis Group.
• http://science.howstuffworks.com/wind-power2.htm
• http://ecotality.com/life/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/vertical_wind.jpg
• http://www.alibaba.com/product/it101322029-101683704-
100658133/WIND_GENERATOR_HORIZONTAL_AND_VERTICAL_AXIS.html
• http://www.bwebcentral.com/blog/1/1118
• http://www.awea.org/faq/rsdntqa.html
• http://www.windpowerexpo.org/
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/08/wind-power